A Wrong that is Right
by Ravensun
Summary: She knew the feelings she felt for Will were wrong.  She knew that she should just let the feelings stay buried inside, but can she stay strong and not act on her emotions.


Helen Magnus was sitting at her desk in her office working on files sent from the Tokyo Sanctuary when Will walked in the room.

"Magnus, I hate to bother you, but I just spoke with Freddie and he is about 99.9% sure that a catatera is loose near the Soll District in Old City. I figured, given the nature of this abnormal, you would want to know as soon as possible."

"Dear God, Will. Yes, by all means thank you. We need to gather every one up and please advise Henry he will need to bring the pulse stunner with it recalibrated to multiply the electrical output tenfold. This abnormal is very strong and very dangerous, and will not go down without a fight."

"I'm on it. We leave in fifteen?"

"I'll meet you at the van in ten."

"Hey Doc, I did the best I could to recalibrate the stunner in ten minutes, but I am not guaranteeing the outcome," Henry said to Magnus as she approached the others waiting by the van.

"What is the big deal with this catatera anyway?" Kate asked.

"Well, it is a hybrid of a catagulopolus and a teratectil, hence the name. Each abnormal is not especially violent in their purest form, but the blending of the two species causes the violent tendencies in both to be magnified to such a level that it would make a great white shark feasting on chum seem docile," Magus replied.

"How did we get a hybrid form, did the cata-whatever and tera-something get it on and poof we have the Charles Manson of abnormals?"

"Actually, Kate, that is the mystery. It appears that someone is genetically engineering these abnormals. Possibly trying to produce the ultimate fighting machine. A creature that tears apart and eats any living organism it can get its claws on, plus it has a thick outer hide that is practically impervious to any attempts to pierce making it practically bulletproof."

"Does anyone have a clue who may be behind the genetic engineering of this creature?" Will asked.

"There is some speculation that an off shoot of the Cabal called the Elite Faction is behind some of these hybrid abnormals."

"Hey Doc, we are close to Soll District," Henry said from behind the wheel of the van, "What do you want me to do?"

"Pull over right up here on the right. We can walk and canvas the area since they were unable to give us a more specific location."

"Gotcha, pulling over now," Henry responded.

Everyone is outside the van checking their equipment and making sure their stunners are functioning. Magnus looks up, "Ok, Henry, you and Kate head north and Will and I will head south. We can loop back up Archer Street and meet back at this location, if we have no success. If you happen to find the catatera, radio us immediately and we will come running. It will take all of our stunners, plus the one Henry modified to corral this creature."

Magnus and Will are waking south down Orion Street looking for the catatera. Will begins thinking that this is just a normal day at the office. A big, bad abnormal on the loose and the Sanctuary team in hot pursuit. He wonders if Magnus ever has thought that she is tired of this life and just wants to retire to Boca Raton and drink tea.

As they continue walking and searching for the catatera, Will decides he will just ask if Magnus ever contemplates "settling down".

"Magnus, have you ever thought that you are tired of the constant hunting and searching for abnormals, the constant risk to your life and all the stress from the Sanctuary network and you just want to wake up on a beach somewhere and never have to work again at this job?"

"Are you asking me if I have ever thought about leaving?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Yes, Will, I have thought about it many times, just recently when I lost Ashley, in fact. I sometimes get tired of the constant stress this job creates. It takes its toll on me as stress would to any normal person. I fancy the day when I do not have to be worried about the abnormals, and I can wake up in a mountain cabin with a great cup of tea and do absolutely nothing"

"Then why don't you just quit; turn your job over to Declan. He is more than capable of handling your position."

"You are quite right about Declan being capable, but I could never give up my position here. My father started the Sanctuary network, and it is his legacy, and that of my family and I plan to see it through till the end. And also Will, I am blessed with longevity, so how would I spend my days? Even lounging in a mountain cabin, or in my villa in Italy would become very boring after a week, imagine trying to do it for one hundred years."

"Point taken."

They continued to walk and search for the catatera. Magnus had a thermal imaging camera, but nothing had even shown on it. As they were making their way back toward the meeting point Magnus asked, "Will, are you sure Freddie knew what he was talking about? I have not heard or seen anything to suggest a catatera has even been in this vicinity, and judging by the lack of communication, I can only surmise that Henry and Kate are having as much luck."

"Well, so far the intel I have gotten from Freddie has been dead on. I don't know where he gets his information, but as soon as we get back, assuming the catatera does not show in the next couple of minutes, I will call him and ask where he got this information."

Magnus and Will were about a block away from the rendezvous point when Henry came over the radio. " Doc, Kate and I didn't have any luck and we are at the van now."

"Ok Henry, Will and I are almost there", Magnus replied into her radio.

As Will and Magnus approached the van, Magnus could not help but feel something was off. Freddie's intel was normally reliable. The whole feel of this mission was one of "set-up" to Magnus. She decided to up her guard until everyone was back at the Sanctuary safe and sound.

"Well, Doc," Henry said, "I take it from the radio silence that you guys came up empty too."

"We did. Did you two ever even have a hit on the thermal imaging camera?"

"Not unless you want to include the sewer rats that could possibly be abnormal judging by their size," Henry replied with a sly smirk on his face.

"Yeah, Will, what's up with the faulty info from Freddie," Kate said.

Just as Will was responding, a loud noise came from the right. As with all streets in Old City, there was condemned buildings and vacant lots with trash strewn about. There was no telling what may have made that sound, but Will was sure they would check it out before leaving. As they all turned toward the sound and began to slowly move in its direction, Will caught a glimpse of a man with a gun out of his peripheral vision to the left of the group. Will notice the man begin to take aim at Magnus and he had to act.

"Magnus!" Will yelled as he dove toward her to push her out of the way of the gunman. At the same moment he pushed Magnus to the ground, a gun shot went off. _Oh God, Will thought, I hope I was able to reach her in time and she is not shot._

As soon as Kate heard Will yell Magus's name, she turned with her stunner drawn. She heard the gunshot, and responded with numerous blasts from her stunner knocking the gunman to the ground. She heard rustling again to the right, but Henry was on it. His HAP senses helping him pinpoint the other person. Henry returned a few seconds later advising he was unable to locate the other person.

Magnus and Will had landed on a pile of trash bags and old seat cushions, so no one was injured in the diving fall.

Will rolled off of Magnus and asked, "Are you ok?"

Magnus, slightly in shock, but very aware of her surroundings at this point advised, "I am fine, is everyone else ok?"

"I'm fine," replied Kate and Henry in unison.

"I'm ok," replied Will.

Magnus was getting up off the ground and advising Henry and Kate to secure the gunman and place him in the van. Will was standing and dusting himself off. As Henry, Kate and Magnus began walking toward the gunman, they heard Will say, "Magnus" right before he collapsed hard to his knees, then toppled face first into the ally.

"Will!" Magnus yelled as she ran to him.

"Dear God," she said as she noticed the large blood stain on the lower left of Will's shirt.

Henry and Kate were now standing behind Magnus staring at Will. "Doc, what's wrong with Will?" Henry asked.

"I would venture to say that the bullet intended for me hit him in the back as he knocked me down."

"Is he ok?" Kate asked.

"His pulse is very thready, and given the location of the wound, I am sure there is significant internal injury," Magnus replied as she examined Will.

"What do we need to do, Boss?" Kate asked.

Magnus replied while reaching for her cell phone, "I need you to get the gunman back to the Sanctuary now and lock him down. Will's condition is too serious for me to take him back to the Sanctuary, and St. Joseph's Hospital is not far away. I am calling for an ambulance and I will stay with Will. I will call you as soon as I know something."

Henry and Kate ran to the van and drove back to the Sanctuary while Magnus was speaking to the emergency personnel. "Yes, I need an ambulance immediately at the corner of Orion and Archer. There is a thirty four year old male with a gunshot wound to the lower left of his back with an upward angle. He has lost consciousness and his pulse is very thready. Please hurry."

Magnus could hear the dispatcher calling for the ambulance via the radio. The dispatcher then returned to Magnus and began asking the standard questions, "Who am I speaking with, etc." Magnus knew calling for the ambulance would mean getting law enforcement involved. She tried very hard to fly as far under the radar when it came to law enforcement just because it made things easier. It was not that she did not respect law enforcement officers, but many times, they just did not understand what was going on. She was friends with the Mayor, and the Chief of Police as they have met numerous times at charity functions and Magnus was actually a very large supporter of the local law enforcement agencies. She knew they would never dig real deep into this matter if she made the phone call, but she just did not like using trump cards unless there was an emergency.

As she was hanging up from the call, she heard the sirens in the distance. She sat down by Will and placed his head in her lap as she stroked his hair. "Please, Will, fight. I cannot lose you. I cannot lose you." She kept repeating these words as she sat with him and was still repeating them as a tear fell and landed on Will's forehead.

When the ambulance arrived, Magnus gently placed Will's head down on the ground, stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and yelled at the medical technicians to come there. As they were placing him on the stretcher, Magnus was advising the medics about Will's condition. One medic piped, "How do you know so much about his condition?"

Magnus replied, "I am a medical doctor, sir, so I am familiar with the proper terms and descriptions of his medical condition."

"Sorry ma'am," the medic said, "I did not mean to sound condescending."

Magnus was physically and emotionally drained and did not feel the need to waste any more energy on replying to the medic.

"Are you riding in the ambulance with Mr. Zimmerman?" the other medic asked.

Magnus was standing, staring at Will on the stretcher with thoughts racing through her mind. God this was awful. She had lost Ashley, but now she may very well lose Will too. She knew his condition was critical to say the least. She knew there were internal injuries, possibly organs damaged. This was not going to be a quick recovery if Will pulls through. They will immediately take him in to surgery when he gets to the hospital.

"Ms. Magnus, excuse me but are you riding in the ambulance with Mr. Zimmerman?" the medic asked again.

Startled out of her endless thoughts, Magnus said yes.

Once they arrived at the hospital, the medics rushed Will into the emergency room where operating room staff was waiting to take him on to surgery as Magnus knew would happen. A nurse at the desk stopped Magnus and asked her to fill out some papers on Will's behalf. As she was filling out the general admission forms, she stopped for a moment and thought she did not even know if Will had any wishes regarding life support, of if he already had named someone his power of attorney. Magnus realized she did not know as much as she should about Will Zimmerman.

Once she completed the forms, she asked the nurse to direct her to the OR's waiting room. As she was walking away from the nurse's desk, the nurse called back to her, "Miss, what is your relation to the patient? You did not fill that line in." Magnus turned and paused for what seemed like an eternity and answered, "I am his fiancée," and turned and walked away.

As she reached the waiting room, Magnus knew Will would be in surgery for quite a while. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Henry's number.

"Hey, Doc, how's Will?"

"Don't know for sure. They have taken him in for surgery. I think I will come in and change clothes," Magnus replied while glancing down at her shirt and pants covered in Will's blood. "Would you please send my car to pick me up at the hospital?"

Magnus hung up her phone and sat in the waiting room. It would take about twenty minutes before the car would arrive and she was exhausted. She realized how nervous and scared she was for Will as she sat there. Her heart was racing, her body felt weak, and she wanted to see a doctor NOW so she could inquire about Will's condition. She knew that she would not see a doctor anytime soon, unless they lose Will. She pushed that thought out of her mind. He was strong. Hell, he has already died twice and came back. She whispered out loud, "Fight, Will, fight."

Magnus's phone rang. It was the Big Guy telling her he was outside waiting.

When Magnus arrived back at the Sanctuary she went immediately to her room to shower. She felt grungy, filthy, dirty, and like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She was hoping the water would just wash away the pressure she felt on her shoulders, but after a nice warm shower the pressure was still there.

She was heading back to the hospital so she would be there when the doctors were through with the surgery, but she had to make a stop before she left.

She walked toward the room holding the gunman. She took in a deep breath and opened the door.

The gunman was sitting at the table. He was a medium sized man, about 175 pounds, 5'10" tall, and rather course looking. He appeared to be in his forties, but more than likely was in his thirties. He was a hired pawn and she was going to find out who hired him.

"Hello Dr. Magnus," he spat out, "how are you this fine day."

"Better than you, I'm afraid."

"Ah, perception is always in the eye of the beholder. How is your colleague, Dr Zimmerman? I heard the others talking about him on the ride back. Pity, if he had stayed out of the way he would be perfectly fine, AND YOU WOULD BE DEAD," the man said.

Magnus could feel her anger welling up inside. She knew he was trying to coax her into losing her temper. Little did he know that she may lose it anyway. Her nerves are frayed and she is not in the mood for psychological banter.

"Who are you and who sent you to kill me?" she asked.

"Do you really think I am going to tell you? Do you think I am going to make this easy for you?" he replied.

"In fact, I do," she replied, "I have my ways of getting information out of people that my staff does not even know about, and this is the perfect opportunity to use my craft. You know what they say, 'Use it or lose it.' I would hate to get rusty on my interrogation/torture techniques."

She saw a slight flinch in the man's face and she knew at that point that she did have a card to play in this game. No doubt his employer had told him how refined, elegant and caring Dr. Helen Magnus was. She would never resort to torturing another human being. She would not torture a person for fun or pleasure, but her close friend and colleague is fighting for his life because he saved hers, and she will use whatever force or techniques to get to the bottom of who tried to kill her.

"Well, this conversation is not over," she stated as she was walking out the door.

She, Henry and Kate were sitting in the OR waiting room. They had been waiting for about six hours now. Magnus knew that Will would be in surgery for a while, and the fact that he was still in surgery means he is hanging on.

A doctor in his late fifties finally came through the doors carrying a chart. "Helen Magnus," he stated while looking down at the chart.

"Yes, Doctor," she replied as she was walking toward the doctor. Henry and Kate were right behind her.

"Your fiancée made it through the surgery. He is very critical and we have actually placed him in a medically induced coma for the time being until his body can begin fighting to repair itself and stave off any infection. The bullet trajectory hit his liver, his left kidney and lodged in his right lung. All organs seem to be functioning, but it is still too early to tell what the actual damage will be. We will be monitoring him very closely for the next twenty-four hours. We will allow you to see him in the ICU, but only you at this time. Does Mr. Zimmerman have any blood relatives?"

"I know his father is living, but he stays at sea and is extremely difficult to locate. His mother is deceased."

"Well, like I said, you may see him, but only you. We will also ask you to wear a sanitary gown and gloves to try to minimize the risk of infection."

"Of course, Doctor, thank you."

As the doctor was walking away, Henry and Kate looked at Magnus as she turned around and both in unison said, "Your FIANCE!"

"Doc, did something happen that I was unaware of," Henry quipped.

A slight blush rose on Magnus's face, but she had a reason for doing what she did and she was not ashamed.

"No, Henry you have not missed anything. I told the people that I was Will's fiancée for a couple of reasons. One reason is just what happened. Hospitals usually only allow family in the ICU. Typically they allow fiancées to visit. The other reason was that I will be interviewed by the police before long. As you know, I am not mentioning you or Kate being there. There was no video in that area so they will not know you were there. But they do know that Will and I were alone in the Soll District in a seedy area. If I were to say I was his employer; that only leads to the question of what we were doing there alone. If I say I am his fiancée, I can say we were out walking and were attacked by a mugger. It allows me to explain why we were alone. Do you understand?"

"Gotcha, Doc. But I have to ask if you have set a date, and if you are registered anywhere," Henry ribbed.

"Yeah, boss, anything in particular you guys need. I am assuming I will be the maid of honor so I need to be planning your wedding shower. Hank can help me and you won't be sorry," Kate chimed in.

Magnus couldn't help but chuckle. It felt good considering the situation. "Yes, you two be working on that shower, and I could use a nice chenille throw for my reading room," Magnus said as Kate and Henry were leaving to go back to the Sanctuary.

Magnus left heading toward the ICU. She found Will in room two. God he looked awful. As a medical doctor, she was used to seeing patients with tubes running everywhere and machines hooked up to help monitor vital signs and respirators for people unable to breathe on their own. She donned the sterile hospital gown, cap, booties and gloves and entered the room. The sounds of the breathing machine striking a nerve with Magnus. She knew with a punctured lung he would be on a respirator. If he began healing, he could be off the respirator and out of the coma within three weeks.

She sat down in the chair to the left of the bed. She reached over and gently took Will's hand in her own gloved hand. Her heart felt so heavy looking at him lying there, knowing he was in this bed only because of her. It should be her in this bed or maybe even dead. She still could not grasp the fact that Will saved her life and paid the consequence for doing so. She knew she would find out who was behind the attempt on her life, and then she would make a decision as to what to do with the person who ordered the hit. It not like she has not "killed" before. It was only a technicality that Adam Worth survived.

She looked up at Will's face. She could not help but think about the memories she had of him. Since the day she met him, he would keep an open mind, the first and foremost quality for a protégé. He also had a keen sense of his surroundings. He could deduct and analyze a situation very accurately, yet another great quality for a protégé. He also had a great sense of humor. He could find humor just about in every situation. Sometimes this was slightly annoying to her, but for the most part it was a welcomed diversion.

They had been through a lot together since he had joined the Sanctuary. A plane crash, a helicopter crash, and a submersed submarine with a homicidal Magnus to name a few, yet through each negative situation, he had remained extremely loyal to her. She knew he cared for her; as a friend, colleague and possibly as one would for a family member. For a brief second she wondered if he might care for her in a different way, as a person he had extremely strong feelings for. Magnus caught herself and immediately shook the thought from her mind. That was not even something she could think about.

Just then a nurse came in to check on Will. "Hello," the nurse said, "just going to take down his vitals and I'll be out."

"Thanks," Magnus responded, "when will the doctor be making his rounds?"

"Let's see, Mr. Zimmerman's doctor is Doctor Phelps. He usually comes through about 8:00p.m and 6:00a.m for his rounds in ICU, but do not hold me to that."

"Thank you so much." Magnus replied. It was 9:18a.m. Doctor Phelps would probably be by to check on Will around his lunch break, since he just got through with his surgery a little over three hours ago. Magnus had been in the ICU for about 45 minutes. She glanced up to see a gentleman in a dark suit standing at the window to Will's room. He motioned for her to come out. As Magnus was closing the door to the room behind her, the gentleman stated to her that he was Detective Eric Moore with the Old City police and he had a few questions for her.

Magnus knew this was coming, so she began to take off the sterile paper gown, booties and gloves. "Yes, Detective, where shall we begin?"

"You are Dr. Helen Magnus, correct?"

"Yes, Detective."

"Please, call me Eric. Now can you tell me what happened to Mr. Zimmerman?"

"Actually, I don't have particulars, but I know he was shot when he pushed me out of the way. He had seen a gunman and he yelled my name and then dove to knock me out of the path of the gunman when the shot rang out. I did not even know Will had been hit. He was standing asking if I were ok and as I was walking away from him he said my name and collapsed."

Did you see the shooter?"

Magnus hated to lie, so she tried to tell as much of the truth as she felt she could afford.

"I did see him briefly. He was about 175 pounds, 5'10" tall, in his late thirties, early forties, Caucasian."

"That is all you can remember?"

"Yes, I told you I only saw him briefly?"

"What were you and Mr. Zimmerman doing in that particular area of the Soll District at 5:00 p.m.?"

Here it comes, the part Helen did not want to deal with. She hated lying, but she had to protect her work at the Sanctuary. "We were out for a walk."

"You and Mr. Zimmerman were out for a walk in that part of town?"

"Not necessarily that part of town. As I am sure you are aware, I own the building next to the river in Old City. Will and I had decided to just go for a walk, so we started walking. No real destination in mind. Unfortunately we found our way to Soll District where the gunman attempted to mug us."

"Are you sure it was a mugging? I mean, you said you only saw him briefly, and then he shot. Maybe he was sent shoot you or Mr. Zimmerman. Did you hear the gunman ask for any money, wallet or jewelry?"

This detective is very good. He is not letting a detail pass him by. Damn it, she could not get the lazy detective ready to go home and eat supper. Oh well, at least she knows there is one good detective on the police force if she ever does need the aid of the police.

"I don't recall hearing the man say anything, as I was unaware of his presence until Will yelled my name and I happened to glance at the gunman before Will knocked me to the ground."

"Why were you and Mr. Zimmerman out walking together?"

Here goes nothing. "Will and I are engaged. He is my fiancé. We enjoy walking and spending time together and that is what we were doing yesterday."

"Oh, well you guys should pay more attention to where you walk."

"Yes, Detective, I agree. Unfortunately, this walk may have cost Will his life," Magnus said with tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Ms. Magnus, but I have to ask these questions. Is there anything else you can remember about the gunman?"

All of a sudden Magnus had a thought that since this Detective seemed to be very thorough, she might be able to use him to find out who was after her. She realized that she had better resources to find the man, but it would not hurt to have someone else looking also. "You know, I think I did hear the man say something but I am pretty sure it was in Russian. That is why I guess I couldn't think when you asked me earlier."

"Russian? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, but in the excitement of the moment, I may have just thought I heard something."

"Well, Ms. Magnus, I will do everything in my power to find who did this to Mr. Zimmerman. Also, one last question, did anyone know where you were walking to, that you would be in the Soll District?"

"No, Detective, that is just where we ended up."

"Alright, I will be in touch with you, and I may ask you some more questions at a later date," Detective Moore replied as he was turning to leave.

"Good day, Detective."

As Detective Eric Moore was walking out of the hospital, he had that feeling that all cops get when something does not feel right. Helen Magnus seemed very forthright, intelligent and caring, but the story smelled bad. He had also heard rumors about Helen Magnus; rumors that connected her to some extremely shady characters. Although, he had never heard anything negative about Dr. Magnus herself, but the secrecy of what goes on in her large house on the river left him with more questions than answers. He also did not buy the fiancée story. She was way out of Will Zimmerman's league.

After her meeting with Detective Moore, which she felt did not go as well as she had hoped; Magnus decided she needed to go visit with the Sanctuary's new guest. She would send Henry and Kate back to the hospital just so someone would be here in case something were to happen even though they could not go into the room with Will, plus she did not want anyone at the Sanctuary while she "interrogated" the gunman.

"Sure Doc, we'll go back to the hospital for awhile, but are you sure you don't need us here while you question the gunman?"

"No Henry, I'll be fine. I have a few other things to do while I am here before I head back to the hospital. I want to try to be back at the hospital by 8:00 p.m. to catch the doctor while he is making his rounds."

"Okey-dokey, Doc."

Magnus headed for her lab. She had to concoct a little cocktail to help Mr. Gunman remember who hired him to kill her and why. Even though the use of "truth serums" to obtain information was unethical she actually did not care at this moment. Magnus had perfected her own serum back during World War II. With the new barbiturates now, she had a feeling she could make this guy sing like a bird.

Armed with her "truth serum", she headed to the interrogation room where the gunman was still waiting.

"Well, well you came back. Couldn't stay away huh?" the gunman said.

"How's Mr. Zimmerman?"

"He is doing fine no thanks to you," she said lying.

"So, have you decided to tell me the information I want about who hired you to kill me and why?"

Laughing, the gunman replied, "No. Whatcha gonna do about it, sweetcake?"

"Well, for starters," she said walking back behind the gunman, "I'm going to give you little more time to think about it." At that moment Magnus leaned over and stabbed the syringe in the gunman's neck.

"What the fuck, you fucking bitch. What did you just inject in me?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. I will be back in a little while and we will try this again. I have a feeling the conversation will be quite interesting the next time we speak."

Magnus turned and walked out of the room. Just as she had closed the door behind her, she heard the door bell chime. She had sent the Big Guy out on a few errands so she would be at Sanctuary by herself while interrogating the gunman. She did not feel the need to be preached at by everyone about her methods of interrogation. She walked to the door and glanced out the peep hole only to find Nikola Tesla standing there grinning from ear to ear.

Magnus opened the door, "Nikola? What are you doing here and what do you want?"

Nikola stepped in the foyer while Magnus closed the door. "Really, Helen, can't I just drop by and say hi to an old friend without there being any ulterior motive."

"No, Nikola, it is not in your nature to do anything that does not benefit you in some way shape, form or fashion."

"Ouch, I hurt Helen. I mean I just wanted to say hi to my good friend, the friend who gave me my life back. You do realize I actually owe you for that. I don't say that very often, but revamping me earned you a favor, so that is why I am here."

"What, are you just going to hang around here until I think of something I need your help with. You realize that may be awhile."

"Well, I could do that, but I already know what favor I am doing for you."

"Classic Nikola, even you doing me a favor is on your terms and is your favor," Magnus said as she turned to walk back to her lab to gather a few items for her interrogation.

"Well, I admit it may not seem as altruistic as I made it seem, but I am here to help you. There is a rumor that someone wants to kill you and may have already made an attempt."

Magnus stopped dead in her tracks, and spun around quickly heading back toward Nikola. "What did you just say?"

"Well, rumor is that you have pissed someone off again and they want you gone. I also heard that they had already made an attempt. The information is correct, isn't it?"

"How do you know that? Where did you hear this information?"

"Calm down, Helen. I am right. Someone has tried to kill you, haven't they?"

"Yes, the information is correct, but they failed."

"Obviously, Helen," Nikola replied in a sarcastic tone.

"No, they failed to kill me only because Will knocked me down when he saw the gunman. The gunman shot and missed me but he hit Will," Magnus said looking away from Tesla to hide the water forming in her eyes.

"Helen, I am sorry. How is young William?"

"He made it through surgery, but he is in a medically induced coma for the time being. He is extremely lucky to have survived. The bullet nicked his kidney, liver and lodged in his lung."

"Again, Helen, I am sorry. Is Will here?"

"No, we were on a mission in Soll District which is where he was shot. Given the severity of the wound, I called the ambulance because St. Joseph's Hospital it only a few blocks away."

"Now, Nikola, how did you get **your** information?"

"Well, you know how abnormals like to talk when they are being threatened to be eaten by a vampire."

"NIKOLA!" Magnus yelled.

"Just kidding. I overheard some people talking at a local establishment I like to frequent in Volgograd. They were discussing that the "boss" was tired of her messing up his operations, costing him substantial money and hindering his ascension in the ranks of the Elite Faction. One guy finally said something about the "boss" sending someone to kill her this week and the other replied that it would be the end of Helen Magnus. Of course, being the brilliant intellect that I am, I deduced that you were the target, ergo, my favor."

"Do you know who the "boss" is?"

"No, that is why I came, I figured we could try to locate him and I could sample some more wine from your cellar."

"Nikola, do you actually have a home somewhere?"

"I'll never tell."

Magnus turned and began walking back to the interrogation room. "Nikola, you are welcomed to join me. We were able to capture the gunman, and I have given him a nice little cocktail to help him overcome his fear of speaking."

"Ooh, a torture session. Count me in," Nikola replied following Magnus down the hall.

As Magnus and Tesla entered into the interrogation room, they both noticed the gunman's head lying on the table with his eyes open in a blank stare and foam coming from his mouth. "Bloody hell!" Magnus exclaimed as she ran to the gunman searching for a pulse. "Bloody, bloody hell!" she yelled throwing her arms up. "He's dead."

"Did he have a cyanide capsule on him?" Nikola asked.

"I don't know. It appears that he may have had one implanted in his mouth. His hands have been restrained by the shackles on the table."

"This is so CIA-KGB," Nikola quipped.

"You said you heard this conversation in a bar in Volgograd?"

"Well, I never said I was in a bar, but yes."

"The KGB had "suicide pills" that some agents used so they could not be interrogated. Quite a coincidence that you heard this information in Russia and now it seems the gunman has used a method of suicide common to the KGB."

"Why Helen, are you implying that the person who wants to see you breathe your last breath is in Russia?"

"Well, not necessarily, but has strong ties with Russia. At least it is a place to start," she said as she walked out of the interrogation room.

"Nikola, I am going to go get ready and go back to the hospital. You are welcome to stay, but if you do, please make yourself useful and dispose of the gentleman in the interrogation room."

As Magnus walked into the ICU waiting room, Kate got up and met her. "Any change since I was here last?" Magnus asked.

"Nah, nothing has happened. The nurses have been really nice to talk to us and give us a little info on his status since we can't get in to see him." Kate replied.

"Hey Doc, how are you doing?" Henry asked.

"Well, Henry, to tell the truth I am exhausted. Oh, and by the way, the gunman we caught is dead."

"Damn Doc, you didn't need to kill him." Henry said.

Magnus chuckled at the conclusion Henry had made only because killing the man had crossed her mind. "Sorry to disappoint Henry but I did not do it. In fact, I had injected him with my truth serum and was going back in to interview him with Tesla and we found him dead. He appears to have had a "suicide pill" implanted in his mouth so he could use it if he was in a situation in which he could not get out."

"Tesla?" Kate said in a quizzical manner.

"Yes, as if this day could not get any worse. He came knocking this afternoon. He appears to have some information about the hit that has been put out for me."

"Hit!" Henry exclaimed.

"Well, apparently there is someone in the Elite Faction that is trying to move up the ranks and I keep knocking him down, along with costing him more money."

"Should we get a security team to follow you just in case?" Kate asked.

"No, this failed attempt will probably have him rethinking his move so that should buy us a little time. Hopefully enough time for us, with Nikola's help, to find out who is behind it."

"Alright, if you say so. So, Kate and I are heading back if that's ok?"

"That's fine Henry. Oh, and would you check to make sure Nikola has disposed of our guest. Oh and too, I was questioned by a Detective Moore this morning. I think will probably be by the Sanctuary before long to ask more questions. You two be careful about what you say because I told him that it was just Will and me out for a walk."

"Will do," Henry replied.

Magnus donned the sterile hospital clothes yet again. She again took her place in the chair to Will's left. She again was shocked at how weak and pale Will looked. Magnus spoke softly "Will, it's Helen. I hope you can hear me. I want you to know how grateful I am for what you did. You know I can't help thinking that your being here is my fault. I brought you into this lifestyle and because of it you are fighting for your life. I hope you can forgive me for putting you through this pain." She grabbed a tissue from the box on the night stand and wiped the tears away that had formed. Why is this affecting me so emotionally? I have lived over one hundred and sixty years. I have lost numerous close friends and lovers, but this sadness seems so much stronger than any she has experienced in the past.

Magnus was still contemplating her emotions when the doctor came into the room.

"Doctor Phelps, good evening."

"Hello, Dr. Magnus. How's our patient?"

"I was hoping you could tell me how he is doing?"

"Well, there has been no change to his blood pressure, temperature and his oxygen saturation is still good so that indicates to me he is holding steady and not declining. The blood work shows high white cell count, but that is expected with the damage suffered. As you know it will probably increase somewhat before they decease as he will be fighting infection. All in all, it really is too early to tell how he is doing, but at least his vitals have remained strong. That in and of itself is a good sign."

"Yes, Doctor, I figured as much, but I thought maybe there was something you knew that I was unfamiliar with."

"Sorry, Dr. Magnus, I know it's hard, especially when it's a close loved one, but we just have to have faith that Mr. Zimmerman will fight."

"Yes, Doctor Phelps, and I believe Will will fight." Magnus replied as Doctor Phelps was exiting the room.

"Ok Will, you heard what he said, fight,"

After another hour had passed, Magnus left the hospital and return to the Sanctuary.

It was 9:30 p.m. and she was utterly exhausted. She went to her room and again took a nice long shower. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. All she kept seeing over and over in her mind was Will collapsing the ground; the scared look in his eyes as he said her name when he collapsed. God, make these images stop. Magnus sat up. She was not one to take any drug to help her relax or sleep, but she was entertaining the thought. Maybe a nice warm cup of tea would relax her. She got up and put her robe on and went down to the kitchen.

Her mind stayed focused on Will. He was all she could think about. She is so scared that she will lose him and that terrifies her. Why is she this upset? She is a level-headed, calm, rational person but this has thrown her off balance completely. She drank her tea and tried to think about something else, like who would want her dead. God, that list was long. One tends to make enemies over one hundred and sixty years.

"Helen, can't sleep?" Nikola asked.

"No, my mind keeps racing. Thought a spot of tea might help me relax and sleep."

"Personally I prefer wine, lots of it, to relax. But hey, if tea helps by all means partake."

"What are you doing up, Nikola?"

"I was headed for the wine cellar to get me a nice Chablis so I can myself fall into the blissful, sweet surrender of sleep."

"Alright then, but Nikola, please do not drink me out of house and home," Magnus replied as she walked out of the kitchen back toward her room.

Magnus awoke at 5:00 a.m. in order to be at the hospital for the doctor's first round. Helen knew most of the answers to her own questions, but as his treating physician, she felt she would defer to Dr. Phelps' opinion.

She arrived at the hospital about ten till six. As she approached the ICU rooms, she saw Dr. Phelps.

"Dr. Phelps, good morning," she said as Dr. Phelps looked up from the chart he was reviewing.

"Good morning, Dr. Magnus. I just came from your fiancée's room. He seems to be doing quite well considering the trauma he has been through. All vitals are still very strong. He white count is elevated, but as we discussed that is to be expected. I would like for him to be in ICU for at least one more night for observation then I will look at moving him to a private room tomorrow."

"Thank you Dr. Phelps, Magnus replied as she went to don the sterile attire and visit Will.

Dr. Phelps turned to the nurse sitting at the ICU desk and said, "You know, when I first found out she was his fiancée, I thought that it was lie, just so she could have access to his room and progress reports." He turned toward Will's room to see Magnus sitting beside Will holding his hand and wiping away the tears from her eyes. "But watching her and seeing her reaction, it is quite obvious that she loves him deeply."

God, here we go again with the tears. Magnus was getting aggravated with herself. She was absolutely falling apart. Damn these feelings, whatever they are. But she knew. She had felt these feelings before. She had fallen in love with Will and not just a good friend love, or brother/sister love. No, this love was deeper. She had never noticed Will as a possible romantic partner. First off, it was completely inappropriate. She was his employer. It is the first rule of an employee/employer relationship. You can't date each other. The other problem with Will as a partner would be that she has a good one hundred twenty-six years on him. That would make her the ultimate cougar.

Well, ok, so she may have a deep love for Will. No one is aware of her feelings so she would just keep it that way. When he is better, things will go back to the way they were and all will be forgotten.

Magnus returned back to the Sanctuary around noon. She needed to talk to Tesla about the "boss", and see if they might could star tracking him down. As she rounded the corner headed to the library to find Tesla, she heard a voice that she immediately recognized. "John," she cried as she walked into the library. How did you get in here?"

"I knocked on the front door and Tesla let me in"

Magnus glared a Tesla. "What do you want, John?"

"Well, it seems the talk of the abnormal world is the hit on Helen Magnus. This of course touched a nerve with me and I tracked down some of the people who were talking about the hit on you and I, well, let's just say I made them talk. I found out that apparently no one knows the true name of the "boss" who wants you dead. He appears to keep his identity hidden and uses mail messages so they cannot be traced. He has contacts in numerous countries so that is probably why Tesla heard about it in Russia."

"You two have been busy talking about my problem I see."

"Helen, please, we both just want to help you. I know you do not care for me the way you used to. I understand that the things I did were so despicable that you cannot move past that, but my feelings for you have not changed. I will do everything in my power to protect you, even if that means I must kill again. Do you understand?"

"I understand John," Helen said getting quite upset, "I do not want you to kill anyone, especially in my name. I would like your help in locating the person behind this hit, but I do not want anyone killed unless it is a necessity, meaning life or death. Do you understand me?"

"I will try my best," John replied. "How is Will doing, Tesla told me he took the brunt of the bullet meant for you? Remind me to thank him for his courageous act."

"Will is fine, as fine as can be expected. Now can we get to work looking for the monster who is determined to kill me and has almost killed by friend?"

"We are going to go back to the nightclub where Nikola heard the guys talking and see if they may have any information to share," John said as he grabbed Nikola and teleported away.

"Nightclub, really Nikola," Magnus said to herself as she left the library to go to her office. She had to get some work done. She was behind because of the accident, and since Will was not here to help, it was worse.

Magnus made a brief stop at the hospital to check on Will. She timed it just right and caught Dr. Phelps. He advised that Will was doing surprisingly well and that he would be moved to a private room the next morning.

Magnus left the hospital after checking in on Will and returned to the Sanctuary. She had more work that needed to be done. She sat at her desk reviewing and signing off on requisition forms from the various Sanctuaries, but Magnus could not focus on her work. She tried to clear her mind, but it kept going back to Will. God, this feeling was just about more than she could bear. She had made the decision to just leave well enough alone. Her feelings for Will had no place in her life. The feelings were wrong. But why were they wrong? What made her intense feelings for Will so wrong? For the love of God, Magnus thought, quit thinking about it. Forget this and move on. She decided she would head on to bed and awake to a brand new day.

Magnus was standing in her office looking over a report she had just received when Will walked in. "Will, what are you doing here?" She asked. I just came by to see if you needed any help with anything. Baffled, Magnus replied, "No, I am reviewing reports." When did you get out of the hospital?"

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"You were shot and in a coma," Magnus replied.

"Not that I am aware of. I am fine. Feel great. What about you?" He asked as he walked in behind her and began massaging her neck. "You seem to be a little tense."

Oh dear God, Will's hands massaging her neck felt so good. He also smelled great. Please not again, she thought. "Ah, well, ah, ok, I ah, need your help filing these," she replied as she walked away from his massage, "if we don't get started, it will take forever since we have gotten behind."

"Sure, hand me a stack," Will replied.

They filed on the papers until about 8:00 p.m. At which time Will decided he was hungry. "I am going to go down stairs and get us a snack. You want anything in particular?"

"No, I am fine with whatever you bring. I do feel a little famished myself."

Will returned in about fifteen minutes with some grapes, wine, crackers, and cheese on a platter. "Since is late, I figured we could just snack on these instead of eating a heavy meal."

"Looks great," Magnus replied as she walked over to the couch where Will was sitting and where he had placed the snacks on the coffee table.

They sat and ate grapes, crackers and cheese and drank some wine. Magnus was feeling more relaxed than she had felt in a while. Will was ok, work was being done, and things were back to normal. She was leaning over to pick a grape off the bunch when Will lifted his hand toward her. She paused for a second looking at Will, then looking at his hand. He brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed his hand against her cheek. Her whole body tingled at the feeling of his touch, and she could not help but close her eyes as he brushed her cheek.

Will saw the response his touch had on Magnus. He looked at her while his hand was still touching her cheek and said, "You had a crumb on your mouth."

"Oh, thank you," Magnus replied as she could feel her heart racing. His hand was still on her face, she assumed the crumb was gone. She sat there as Will began slowly moving his hand up her face to push her hair back behind her ear. He cupped his hand around her head and moved closer to her on the couch. She could feel her breathing becoming more and more rapid. Dear Lord she was absolutely frozen. She tried to will herself to move off the couch, away from this situation, but she could not move. All she could do was wait for the next move, and she found herself extremely excited about what it may be.

Will began to gently pull her head toward his, looking into her blue eyes the entire time, waiting for her to stop what was happening, but when she did not, he continued. He touched his lips to hers and kissed her with a gentle passion Magnus had not known in quite some time. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss became more intense. Will began kissing a trail down her jaw to her neck. He nipped and kissed the sensitive skin on her neck, drawing a low moan from Magnus as she tilted her head to give him better access. He took his left hand and began to slide it under her blouse. Gently caressing her skin to the point it actually tickled. This made Magnus squirm and make a slight noise which response only fueled Will's fire. He continued to slide his hand up her blouse until he reached her breast. He massaged her breast, using his thumb to caress the nipple, as he continued to nip her neck. Magnus was about to go crazy. God this felt so great, he felt so great. As he continued to massage her breast, he took his other hand and placed it on her thigh. He began to run his hand up her thigh under her skirt. The pure anticipation of all that was about to play out was just about more than Magnus could handle. She tilted her head back and shifted forward on the couch. As Will continued with his exploration, Magnus could hear bells in her head. This must be good if bells are going off, she thought to herself. The bells continued and actually got louder and louder and louder….

Magnus sat straight up in her bed. She looked over at the alarm clock that was sounding. It was 5:00 a.m. It had been a dream. Will was in the hospital in a coma. But what a dream it was. Magnus was slightly embarrassed as she was still very turned on from the dream. "What the hell am I going to do about this?" She questioned herself.

She got a nice cool shower and readied herself to go to the hospital.

As she was driving to the hospital, she pondered the feelings for Will more. Obviously they are taking over her subconscious mind if she is now having dreams about Will. She decided, for her psyche's sake, she would just tell Will how she felt. She would voice her feelings out loud. It is not her problem that Will is in a coma and can't hear her confession. Hopeful that would end this little crush and she could move on with her life as usual.

When she arrived at the hospital, it was about 6:30 a.m. She was hoping she might still catch Dr. Phelps, but she was running a little late this morning. As she approached the ICU rooms she noticed that room two was empty. "Excuse me, where is Will Zimmerman?" She asked the nurse at the desk.

"Mr. Zimmerman has been moved to a private room, let's see, room 525."

"Thank you. Has Dr. Phelps already made his rounds for the morning?"

"Yes, I am afraid you just missed him."

"Oh, thank you," Magnus replied.

Magnus left the ICU and found Will's private room. Before she went in, she called Henry on his cell and advised him that Will was in a private room and that Henry and Kate could visit now.

Magnus went in the room. It was not as sterile seeming as ICU, but Will was still connected to numerous machines. He seemed to have more color than he has had. Magnus sat down in the chair to Will's right with her back to the door. She picked up Will's hand and held it. Magnus still felt the heaviness in her heart, the sadness at Will's condition. "Will, I have something I must discuss with you. I am positive that you will not remember this conversation, in fact I am counting on that," Magnus said in a low voice. "Since your injury, I have had some extremely fluctuating emotions; feelings that I cannot begin to understand, to tell you the truth. I do know that the main feeling I have had; the one emotion I do know what is is love. I have tried to rationalize this feeling as one of love as for a brother or dear friend, but I am afraid it goes way deeper than that. Will, I believe I am in love with you." She said as she wiped tears from her eyes with her free hand. "I have not felt this way since John in the beginning of our relationship. I can't seem to get you off my mind right now. It is actually affecting my day to day routine. Now I am dreaming about you. I know this is wrong. That is why I am telling you while you can't remember. I am hoping by admitting this out loud, that I can move passed this. I do not want to do anything to jeopardize the friendship and working relationship we do have. I care too much for you to do something that may sever our relationship completely. I hope you understand why I am doing this. I do love you Will." She said as she bent over and kissed his hand.

Now that was over. She did feel a weight off. As she was cleaning her face up in the bathroom, Henry and Kate walked in. "Hey, Doc, how's Will doing today?"

"He seems to be doing fine. No change really, although I did not arrive in time this morning to catch the doctor on his rounds."

"Well, at least he is hanging in there," Kate said. "Hey, did Tesla and Druitt find you?"

"No, I have not seen either of them, why?"

"Well, they popped in this morning and said they had some information about the guy trying to have you offed and I told them you were at the hospital. I just assumed when they teleported out they were coming here."

"No, they may have gone to the ICU. Since you two are here, I will head back to the Sanctuary and see if they may be there."

"OK, see ya later, Doc," Henry said.

Magnus arrived back at the Sanctuary wondering what Nikola and John had found out. She walked in, but saw no sign of either Nikola or John. She went on in to her office to work on a more requisition forms. About an hour later, Nikola appeared at her door with full wine glass in hand.

"Well, well, Miss Cougar, nice of you to come home," Nikola mocked.

"What? What are you babbling about now, Nikola?"

"Nothing. We'll chat later. For now, you should know that Johnny and I believe we may have found out who is behind your death sentence," Tesla said as he took a drink of wine. "It seems that it is your friend Virgil St. Pierre. Apparently he did not like the beating he took from the loss of the super suit, and loss of the money from the Russians. He apparently has been recruiting hired hands in various countries to do his dirty work, one being Russia."

"It does make sense. He did lose a helluva lot of money on the suit. But is he actually smart enough to be in the Elite Faction?"

"Helen, if you have money, must you have brains? I think not. He probably provides the financial backing for the Faction and as such is promised higher rankings. Of course, he may have begun to figure out he was just a pawn in the Faction's game and he may be looking to use his money to actually take over the Faction."

"Good point, Nikola. Do you know where Virgil is now?"

"I do not, but Johnny may be on a quest to rid the world of his existence."

"What? Why would he be on such a quest as you say? Now that we know who it is, we can take him down without using violence."

"Well, let's just say Johnny is very upset and nothing seems to calm him down better than bloody violence."

"Nikola, what aren't you telling me? John did not seem hell bent to kill anyone yesterday when I talked to him."

"Helen, Johnny and I came by the hospital earlier today after Kate told us you were there. We teleported to the hallway by ICU then found out Will had been moved to room 525. John the teleported us to the hallway outside Will's room. The door was not completely shut so I pushed it open for us to come in the room. I stopped when I saw you crying. John was right behind me. Needless to say, he, or shall I say we, heard your heartfelt confession of love to young William. Now, do you understand why John is 'upset'?

Magnus could not believe what she just heard. "Dear Lord." She replied. "Did he say anything to you at all?"

"Nay, he grabbed me, teleported us back here, and he left immediately after dropping me off. I must say Helen, I am shocked. Will does not seem your type. I mean you are old enough to be his great, great, great…"

"Stop it, Nikola!" Magnus yelled.

"That conversation was supposed to be private. How much did you hear?"

"WE heard enough to hear you tell him that you were in love with him. John ended my eavesdropping at that point."

"Did you hear the part where I told him I am telling him this in a coma state because I do not plan on acting on my feelings? I know the feelings I have for Will are not acceptable. I was hoping by telling him how I felt out loud, but where he could not actually hear, would help these feelings subside."

"How is that working out for you so far?"

"Not well, I'm afraid. I did not factor in being overheard," Magnus snapped.

"Hey, sorry. I can't just ignore one of my oldest and dearest friend's confession of love."

"Give it a rest, Nikola."

"Do you have any idea where John may have gone?"

"Some of the intel we gathered had the "boss" in Morocco. I was able to find out Virgil St. Pierre has a vacation home in Morocco. That may be a possibility."

"Good, I'll get the private jet ready and we can leave in an hour." Magnus said while picking up the phone.

Magnus called Kate to let her know she and Tesla were flying to Morocco in hopes of finding the "boss" also known as Virgil St. Pierre. "Please hurt him lots, Doc, just for me. That bastard tried to fry my brain to get that suit back."

"We'll see. You and Henry watch after things and visit with Will. If anything happens regarding Will, call me immediately."

"Will do, happy trails."

"There it is," Magnus said. "The one on the right."

"Well, what is our plan? Shall we try to sell him a vacuum cleaner?" Nikola joked.

"I want to know if John is here, first. I do not want him killing, torturing or maiming anyone if I can prevent it."

"So, you're going to get caught aren't you?"

"Precisely."

"I must stress that this is a bad idea. This man has a hit on you. You don't think his goons will know who you are? Hell, Helen, the minute they see you, they may kill you on sight and collect whatever bounty he has for you head."

"True, but I brought along something that may allow me to bargain with Mr. Pierre."

"Really? What did you bring?" Tesla asked.

"I brought him his suit, or at least a great replica of his suit."

"Helen, don't you think he will figure out that the suit is a fake?"

"I am only concerned about buying enough time to see if John is around and then to let Virgil try his suit on."

"Try the suit on? Why?" Nikola asked.

"I had the replica made with small nanites which will attach to his cerebral cortex. Once they attach, I can control his actions with my voice. I figure by the time Virgil St. Pierre gives away a majority of his money for charity and begins talking nonsense, no one will see him as a leader and they will not follow him. In fact, I hope he is expelled from membership with the Elite Faction."

"You devious bitch. You can control this man with your voice forever. Way cool."

"No, the nanites used only have a useable life of about 6 months. Afterwards they detach from the brain and are expelled as waste."

"Are you ready?" Nikola asked.

"As I'll ever be," replied Magnus.

Magnus walked to the gate of the fence and spoke into the intercom. "This is Helen Magnus for Virgil St. Pierre." She then stepped back and looked directly into the camera. A moment later the gate swung open and two armed guards grabbed Magnus.

"Helen Magnus, what a pleasure it is to see you," Mr. St. Pierre said, "I must wonder though what it is that you are doing in Morocco and in my neighborhood?"

"Well, Virgil, it seems as though someone wants me dead. In fact, they tried to kill me a few days ago, but instead shot my colleague, Will Zimmerman. That actually pissed me off. Then I find out that the person behind my hit is known as the "boss". A man who is trying to climb the ranks of the Elite Faction, but apparently my actions have knocked him down a few pegs. Then I further find out that the "boss" is none other than Virgil St. Pierre. Really? It has come to you trying to kill me so you can rise in rank. You have the money to start your own group of terror-nazis if you wanted, why worry about the Elite Faction?"

"First off, Dr. Magnus, let me say bravo on finding me. Second, so sorry about your little friend. You are right. I do have the money, but the Elite Faction already has the connections. I would have to vie for connections if I started a competing group, and who's to say the people would follow. No, I figured I would just take over the Elite Faction. Use my money to help fund a few experiments, make more connections, make more money and soon overthrow the powers that be. But your little stunt with my suit cost me dearly. You severed my connections with the Russians, not to mention costing me close to one hundred million for the suit. My researchers helped create the suit, and you swoop in and take it. Then get the backing of the Russians. So I decided you were a thorn in my side and in the side of any group who wanted to use abnormals for profit, or world domination, both ideals of which I subscribe."

"I did bring you a peace offering Virgil. Here is your suit." Magnus said taking out a clear container full of a purplish liquid. "Take it. Try it out. Just leave me and my staff alone." Magnus handed the container over to Virgil. She glanced around the large office space she was standing in, but saw no signs of John. God, I hope he tries the suit on, if not, Plan B will have to be formulated, whatever it may be.

Virgil St. Pierre took the suit. "Helen, I am a fan of mythology, and I see this offering of the suit as a Trojan horse. I will have my researchers conduct tests on the suit," he stated as he sat the container down on the edge of the desk, "but in the mean time, I think I need to decide how best to kill you.

Shit, Helen thought. He is not as naïve as he was when they last met. As Virgil moved toward her, she kicked up and caught him in the stomach hard. She then kicked out hitting the container sending it to the floor where it shattered; the liquid inside started oozing all over the floor. Helen tried to twist out of the grip of the two guards, but one struck her hard to the right side of the head sending her sailing away from the suit. Before she could get to her feet to even have a fighting chance, a guard tackled her back to the floor. He straddled her, and the last thing she remembered was the butt of his gun coming down on her head.

When she regained consciousness, she looked around. She was at the top of Big Ben in London, England. "What the bloody hell," she said to herself. She was extremely confused until she saw John step out from around a pillar. "John? But where did you? How did you?" She tried to ask, but he cut her off.

"I was in the next room. I saw that you did not have the situation under control so I acted after you were knocked out."

"John, you did not kill those men did you?"

"No, Helen, even though that is what you think of me, I did not. I overheard your plan when you were talking to Tesla about the suit. I made sure the suit found its way on Mr. St. Pierre. The other men, well, I did have to get physical, but they were breathing when I left."

"Seems you are overhearing a lot of my private conversations these days," Magnus replied after he made the comment about overhearing her conversation with Tesla.

"Helen, I do not wish to talk about what I heard. I understand that you are in love with Will. I also know that things will never be the same between us, but I still love you and it hurts tremendously knowing that you are in love with another."

"John, first off you are correct in that things will never be the same between us as they once were. I was deeply in love with you, but your actions and your temperament changed that. I will say to you that I still love you, John, I always will, but it is not the love we once shared."

"I understand, Helen, but it is still hard to hear the woman you love and have loved for over a century, confess her love to another."

"I am sorry you heard that conversation. The feelings I have for Will seemed to have come out of nowhere, but they are there. I recognize the love I feel for him only because it is the same feeling I had for you, John. You were my first true love."

"How did this love for Will come about?" John asked.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. After he was shot, and I faced the reality of losing him forever, I think the feelings that had been there for awhile surfaced. It came as quite a shock. The reason I was telling him how I felt was to get it off my chest, to say it out loud. He's in a coma. He did not hear what I said, but I was hoping by saying how I felt out loud, I could repress the remaining feelings and go about life as usual."

"But why, Helen, if you truly love him? Why not tell him for real? Why not see where the relationship goes?"

"John, you know that is not a possibility. He is my understudy, my protégé as everyone says. It shows a weakness on my part if I seduce my own employee. It is wrong, John. Not to mention the obvious. I am quite a bit older than he. And there is the whole immortal, outlive everyone you love issue."

"Helen, as much as it pains me to know your heart belongs to another; it pains me to see that you are denying yourself that little bit of happiness. You have had other lovers in the past, correct?"

"Awkward conversation, John."

"Just answer me" he replied.

"Yes, John, there have been others."

"Well, what is so different now?"

"Because, John, I truly, deeply care and love Will. I almost lost him a few days ago. The sadness that overcame me was unbearable. I was a nervous wreck. I can't imagine feeling that every time I put him in a dangerous situation, or as he grows older and I am unable to stop the natural progression of his life course."

"Helen, you of all people should know that love is hard," John said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You do recall you were engaged to Jack the Ripper," he said as he smiled down at her. "You can overcome anything, but the fear of being hurt should not hold you back from even the slightest amount of joy you may experience in a relationship with Will."

"Fine, I will think about it. But everyone is forgetting one major issue in this, that is whether or not Will has any feelings for me," Magnus said as she gazed out across the Thames River. "Can you take me home, John? Oh and where is Tesla?"

"Yes, and he's already back at the Sanctuary."

Magnus continued to go the hospital everyday to see Will. Tesla was still squatting in her home, but it was getting close to time for Will to be brought out of his coma. He was doing very well as far as healing. He did not get an infection so that sped up his recovery time.

At the hospital, Dr. Phelps decided to bring Will out of his medically induced coma a little early as he was healing quite nicely. He had stopped the Phenobarbital that was inducing the coma state. Since Will had no brain damage, as soon as the sedative effects wear off he should be awake and alert. Dr. Phelps would check in on his status at about 4:30.p.m.

At 4:30 p.m. Dr. Phelps went to check on Will Zimmerman. He probably should have called Will's fiancée, Dr. Magnus, but he had forgotten and frankly did not have time. He would have the nurse call as soon as he saw Mr. Zimmerman.

Dr. Phelps walked in and noticed Will's hand moving. H e walked over and spoke. "Mr. Zimmerman can you hear me? If you can hear me, try to open your eyes. Will's eyes opened just a little; the light hurting them. "Good. Can you wiggle you fingers for me?"

Will's fingers on both hands wiggled. "Excellent. You should be completely coherent by my 8:00 round."

Magnus had received a call from the hospital stating that Will was awake. She called Henry and Kate to tell the good news, and then she left for the hospital.

When she walked in, He was still asleep. It would be tomorrow before the effects of the barbiturate wore off completely. She sat down in the chair to his left. She learned her lesson about having her back to the door. She reached down and picked up Will"s hand. As she was holding it, his fingers tightened around her hand. He was waking up. His grip on her hand felt so good, as it signified that he would be ok. She squeezed his hand back, and he opened his eyes just barely and looked at Magnus. She had missed those blue eyes. He shut them again and was back out.

The next day, Will was coming around. He no longer had a breathing tube so he could talk somewhat. Dr. Phelps came in on his evening rounds. "Hello, Mr. Zimmerman, are we more coherent today?"

"A little," Will croaked.

"Boy, you are one lucky man. You survived a shooting that anybody else probably would have died from.

"I have practice," Will replied.

"What?" Doctor Phelps asked.

"Nothing."

"I must say, you are lucky too to have such a wonderful fiancée. She was here every day you were here but maybe one. She is very beautiful and smart on top of it. She cried just about every time she came to see you until yesterday."

Will was confused. He was thinking coherently, and he did not seem to have amnesia, so he knew he was not engaged and that he had no fiancée. "Excuse me doctor, but did you say my fiancée?"

"Yes, Will, Helen, Helen Magnus. You do remember don't you? Is there anything else you don't recall?" Dr. Phelps inquired.

"No, I remember, yes Helen. Is she here now?"

"No, I don't believe she is, but she will be soon. She tried to see you each morning and night. Real sweetheart. Make sure you keep her happy. If I weren't married I'd go after her in a heartbeat," Dr. Phelps said as he walked out the door.

Will thought to himself, fiancé? I bet she did that so she could have access to me and my charts. Gotcha sweetie. Wait till she comes in later, this will be fun.

Magnus, Kate and Henry came by to see Will at about 8:00p.m, the same time Dr. Phelps walked in. "Evening, Will," the doctor said. "And look who else is here, evening, Dr. Magnus."

"Evening, Dr. Phelps."

"I bet you want to see him. He was asking for you earlier today."

Will loved how this was going to play out. He was going to ask for a hug and plant one on her in front of Henry, Kate and the doctor. Hell, he was sick, surly she wouldn't kill him.

"Helen, sweetheart, please come here," Will said with his arms open for a hug and a smirk on his face. As Magnus bent down to hug Will, he whispered in her ear, "I'm fixing to kiss you baby so make it look real." Before Helen could pull free from his embrace, he pulled her forward and he kissed her. She did ask for this when she lied about being his fiancée, so she went with it. She placed a hand on his cheek as she returned the kiss. Magnus found herself not wanting the kiss to end, but Kate and Henry were standing right behind her so she lifted up and stared at Will.

Will was shocked. He knew she would suffer through the kiss but he never imagined she would return the gesture. He also saw a look in her eyes as she pulled away from him that he just could not read. Interesting. Is it also crazy that he really enjoyed the fake kiss that he did not want it to end? Well, he would have good dreams tonight.

Kate was making whoo-hoo sounds. She then asked if we had set a date. Will blurted out October 12. This was just too much fun Will thought. When the doctor left, things went back to normal.

"Hey, Buddy, missed you man. I am so glad you're ok," Henry said as he bent down to hug Will.

"Hey, I missed you too. I am also glad to see you awake and acting like your old self," Kate said as she bent down to hug Will.

"As am I," Magnus replied.

"Well, Honey could you please enlighten me on our courtship at some point. The doctor came in talking about how wonderful my fiancée was and yada yada. I thought I was losing it. I was like fiancée? What? The doctor started stressing thinking maybe I had amnesia. I finally figured out you did that so you would have access to me and my charts. Right?"

"Yes, you're right," Magnus replied in the-oops-I've-been-caught tone.

"When can I go home?"

"Well," Magnus answered, "I am going to speak to Dr. Phelps and see if I can transfer you to the infirmary at the Sanctuary."

"Sounds great."

"We are going to leave and let you rest. We'll see you tomorrow," Magnus said.

Magnus returned to the hospital the next day and was able to catch Dr. Phelps on his rounds. Dr. Phelps agreed to release Will to Magnus's care. Will came back to the Sanctuary's infirmary where Magnus monitored his progress along with the help of Biggie. Things were starting to get back to normal. Tesla had taken a leave of absence from the Sanctuary. Henry, Kate and Magnus went on missions while Biggie stayed behind to care for Will.

After about three months had passed, things had just about returned to normal. Will was now able to care for himself. He was still not up to mission status but everyday he was improving. He was doing rehab with the Big Guy working on building his strength back after being bedridden for a little over a month, not to mention the damage done to the muscles due to the surgery. All and all, things were as they should be.

Magnus was working on reports and staying busy. She found that the more she busied herself, the less time she had to think about her personal issues. The intense feelings she was having toward Will had calmed down somewhat, probably because he was back home and she could see him in his natural setting rather than on death's door in a sterile hospital room hooked up to machines. That thought made her shiver. As she was reviewing reports from the London Sanctuary, the door bell chimed. A few moments later, Nikola Tesla appeared before her.

"Nikola, what brings you back this way? Thirsty?" Magnus mocked.

"Actually, I brought a bottle to help replace that which I have partaken."

"You brought one bottle," Magnus said while chuckling, "You needed to bring at least three cases by my estimate to remotely begin to replace all the wine of which you have partaken."

"It is not about quantity with wine, but quality."

"Really, Nikola, why are you here?" Magnus asked as she walked around to the front of her desk.

"Well, I honestly wanted to check in on young William and see how his recovery was going, plus I had a great idea for a new stunner weapon and I was hoping I could use Henry's lab to try to create a prototype."

"You are welcome to ask Henry if you can use his lab, but you best be very polite and on your best behavior if you are asking a favor," Magnus replied.

"Please, Wolf boy loves me," Nikola said grinning ear to ear as he disappeared out her office door.

Will was walking down the corridor to go to Magnus's office. He may not be mission ready, but he still can do paperwork, unfortunately. As he rounded the corner to the hallway in front of Magnus's office, he nearly ran over Tesla.

"Tesla," Will said as he jerked back to keep from running into Nikola.

"William, how are we doing? Looking much better than the last time I saw you. Say, are you busy right this minute? I have to ask you a question if you have a moment."

"Sure, I was just going to do some filing for Magnus." Will replied.

"Filing. So that what you're calling it these days," Nikola said with a smirk.

"What? What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"Nothing really, it's just what I actually wanted to talk to you about."

"Nikola, cryptic much," Will said.

"Walk with me and we'll chat," Nikola responded as he started walking down the hall away from Magnus's office. "Now, I know this may seem an odd question for me to ask, but are you enjoying your new relationship with Magnus?"

"Nikola, what are you talking about? What "new" relationship with Magnus?"

"Well, aren't you two, how shall I put this, involved romantically, if you catch my drift."

"What! No. Where the hell did you come up with that? Are you just trying to be more of an asshole than you usually are?" Will exclaimed.

"Whoa, hold on young lad. I did not mean anything bad by my asking, but by your reaction, I am assuming Helen has not talked to you since you have been out of your coma."

"No, I guess not. I really don't understand what you are talking about. If I did I might know if she has talked to me or not," Will replied.

"Oh boy, I think I will just head down to the lab. Forget I said anything, alright."

"Oh no you don't," Will said as he grabbed Nikola's arm while Nikola was walking away. "You explain to me what you are talking about."

"Alright, if I tell you, you must promise not to tell her that I told you, do you understand?"

"Yeah."

"When you were in the hospital in your coma, John and I teleported in and were about to walk in your room to talk to Magnus when we heard her talking to you. Basically, she admitted she loved you, William. Magnus is in love with you. When I confronted her about it, she told me that she knew it was wrong because of your employer/employee status and her age. She said if she confessed her love to you while you were asleep, maybe she could move passed it and carry on with you being none the wiser and her having lifted the burden of keeping it a secret. The problem was both John and I heard it. Not sure what reaction John had, but I do not think it was a pleasant one."

Will stood in shocked silence. Was Tesla making this up and trying to cause trouble between him and Magnus. He knew Tesla had a thing for Magnus. Maybe he was trying to manipulate this situation. But then again, there was the kiss in the hospital which Will thought was odd because she kissed him back. There have also been little, subtle things he has noticed such as a gentle touch or a loving glance.

"Hello, Earth to Will. Did you hear me boy? Your boss has the hots for you."

"Why should I believe a word you say?" Will asked.

"Look, I have nothing to gain out of you and Magnus knocking boots, in fact it kind of pisses me off thinking about it, but she chose you. And if John were here, he would corroborate this story." Nikola replied. "So, what are you going to do about this?"

Will stood silent for what seemed an eternity then answered, "I don't know."

"Well, the ball is in your Court, Sonny," Nikola stated as he began walking away.

Holy crap, Will thought. What am I going to do? Do I try to get her to admit it to me in a waking state, or do I just forget about it, let it go and if she wants something to happen, let her initiate it. First off, how do I feel about her? No thought required there, I've been attracted to her since the moment I saw her and the attraction and yearning grows by the day. Shit, Will thought, I love her too. She is concerned about the working relationship. I think that could work out. We could manage. As for her age, not an issue. She is an attractive, beautiful, smart woman. Any man would be a fool to not see that. Course there is the immortal issue. Will would grow old and she would not?

That may be the biggest hang-up. He cares so much for her; he would hate to see her move on to another man after he reached an age where they could no longer be together. So what, every relationship is a crap shoot. We may all die in a plane crash tomorrow, so it would be horrible to not live for the moment and experience some joy and happiness, even if it lasts only a short while. Will had made up his mind; he was going to put the ball back in her court and see if she is willing to take this journey.

Will took several deep, relaxing breaths before entering Magnus's office. "Hey, thought I could help file. Gotta feel somewhat useful."

"Oh, hey, Will. Sure. That would be great," Magnus replied as she stood from her chair and walked over to the desk with all the papers that needed to be filed.

Will followed her over to the desk. "Here are some financial statements which need to be filed immediately before they get lost or misplaced," Magnus said pointing out a large stack to the back right of the desk. As she looked up to make sure Will understood which stack she was referring to, she saw him staring at her. He was not even looking at the papers she was pointing out.

Will knew it was now or never. He stared into her beautiful blue eyes. He moved in closer to her and took his right hand and pushed her long hair back behind her ear. He held on to her head and leaned in and kissed her. It was a soft, gentle kiss. He looked back up at her shocked expression, but then leaned back in to kiss the right side of her neck. He could hear her breath catch as he gently suckled the sensitive skin on her neck. He moved slowly to her earlobe. He used his tongue to flick the lobe then he nipped it with his teeth. Magnus let out a slight moan. When he heard the moan, he knew he had achieved the reaction he was hoping for. He lifted his mouth right up to her ear and whispered, "Now you know how I feel about you, what do you want to happen?" Then he released her head, looked into her eyes, turned and walked away.

Magnus was in shock. What had just transpired? Did what she thought just happened actually happen? She reached up to touch her tingling neck. It did happen. Now what? Bloody hell, things had been going quite well. She had been able to repress her feelings for Will. Not now. Damn cheeky bastard actually got her turned on and walked away.

Will left the next move up to her. Did she want to pursue this relationship? One she knew in her mind was wrong but that she yearned for with all her heart. Magnus decided to just wait and see what happens. If the universe leaves her an opening, she will take it.

The next few days were hectic. Kate, Henry and Magnus were out everyday capturing abnormals that had somehow found their way into public places. Magnus had not seen a lot of Will. She wondered if he was already upset because she didn't respond immediately to his challenge. This was exactly the reason this relationship should not happen. If one of us does or says something to upset the other, then it carries over to the work day. But maybe she was reading more into it. Will was still busy rehabbing and getting caught up on his own work. We'll see Magnus thought.

Magnus was in her study reading a book by the fire. She dearly loved winter months. She could have a nice fire, a hot cup of tea and a good book and everything was right with the world.

While she was reading, there was a slight knock on the door. Magnus said, "Come in."

It was Will, "Hey Magnus. I'm sorry to bother you but I wanted your opinion about this abnormal. It is currently being housed at the London Sanctuary, but I think it would be better to transfer it to Mumbai because of its connection with so many native species of the area. What do you think?"

Magnus had heard most of what Will had said, but she could not seem to focus on anything but the way he looked. He was wearing a t-shirt that fit tight across his chest. He had bulked up since he started his rehab/exercise routine. The fire reflected off his golden hair and lit up his blue eyes. He was a beautiful man.

"Magnus? Did you hear me?" Will asked.

"Yes, Will, I'll approve the transfer. I think it would be better suited in Mumbai."

"Ok, thanks," Will replied as he turned to leave. Just as Will turned and was walking away, Magnus reached out and caught Will's right wrist. Will looked down at her hand on his wrist, then he looked into her eyes. He saw a need in her eyes. He pulled her up so that she was standing in front of him facing the fire. God she was gorgeous. She started to say something but he quickly put his finger to her mouth. He did not want her to start to analyze the situation. He wanted to just live for this moment. He took his hand and caressed her cheek, then pulling her forward, his lips met hers. Again it was a gentle soft kiss; the only difference between this kiss and the kiss in her office is that she is reciprocating. He began to kiss her harder, his tongue finding hers. Dear God this was amazing.

Magnus knew at this point there was no turning back, and she did not want to. She has not felt as alive as she does at this moment. His kiss was intoxicating. Magnus put her arms around his neck to pull him in closer. He started trailing kisses along her jaw down to her neck. He lightly nipped at her neck and sucked on the sensitive flesh. God, Magnus thought, this is like déjà vu because of her dream. He continued to nip at her neck. His other hand had found its way to the hem of her blouse. He then dropped his other hand down and both were under the edge of her blouse. His hands on her bare skin were about all she could take. She leaned her head back to give him more room to kiss. His hands started sliding further up her blouse. Dear Lord, she let out a moan. His hands were now touching the bottom of her breasts. He moved both to cup each breast. He began massaging and kneading her breasts, gently at first but getting more and more rough, causing Magnus to let out several moans. His thumbs began rubbing her firm nipples. Magnus did not know if she could take much more.

Henry, Kate and Biggie were downstairs in the entertainment room. "I wonder where Will is?" Kate asked, "I thought he said he was going to come watch the movie with us."

"Ugh, maybe he forgot, ugh," replied Biggie.

"I know he was going over some reports and files, you know I think he was going to go ask Magnus if some abnormal could be transferred," Kate said.

"Why don't you go see if you can find him and invite Magnus too, although I know she is much too "dignified" to watch Scary Movie 12," Henry said.

"Alright, be back in a few. Hey, was she up in her study?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I think she was reading," Henry responded.

Kate headed toward Magnus's study. As she approached the door, she noticed it was slightly open, so when she reached the door she grabbed the door knob and opened the door. Just as she was about to speak, the scene before her registered. She saw Will kissing Magnus's neck, groping her breasts, and heard moans coming from Magnus. Kate quickly pulled the door back to its original spot. She was freaking out. No way she had seen what she saw. As she stood there she could still hear the moans coming from Magnus. Shit, I did see what I think I saw. Kate left and headed back to the entertainment room.

"Hey, are Will and Magnus coming?" Henry asked.

"If they aren't now they will be very shortly," Kate replied.

"Hey, Kate, what's wrong? You look white as a sheet." Biggie asked.

"I don't think I can talk about it," Kate replied staring absently at the television.

"No, seriously, Kate, what's up," Henry asked. "Did you find Will? Is he going to watch the movie?"

Kate responded in a monotone, "Yes, I found him and no, he is not going to watch the movie."

"Why not, he got more important things to do than hang out with his bros," Henry quipped.

"Only if you think screwing Magnus is more important," Kate replied.

"What! Is that some kind of joke? That's even crude for you, Kate." Henry said.

"Listen, I'm not being crude. I walked up to the study. The door was not completely shut, so, you know me I walk in and I see Will and Magnus making out. End of story. Let's start the movie."

Henry gets up and starts to head out the door, "I don't believe you. Magnus would not make out with Will. I'll just go check on them and see for myself."

"Hank, I am very serious. I know what I saw and heard. You can't just barge in there. Magnus was a willing participant. Will was not forcing her. And besides, if you were getting it on would you really appreciate someone interrupting?"

"No, I guess you're right," Henry said sitting back down.

"Wow." Henry exclaimed. "Maybe they really are engaged," he said quizzically.

Will looked up at Magnus as he began to unbutton her blouse. After each button he undid he would lean in and kiss her. When he finished unbuttoning her blouse, he gently pulled it off her shoulders and arms and placed it on the armrest. Magnus reached down to the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head to expose his chiseled abs. Will bent down and began kissing her shoulder. He trailed kisses along her shoulder till he reached her bra strap. He hooked his finger and pulled the strap down her arm. He moved to the next shoulder. He reached down to the front of her bra and undid the clasp. He pulled her bra off exposing her supple breasts. Will then grabbed both breasts in his hands and began rubbing them. Magnus was going insane. He dipped his head down to catch a nipple in his mouth. Magnus let out a loud moan as Will bit down. He nipped and suckled each breast until Magnus could stand no more. She reached down and forced Will's head back up to hers where she kissed him, hard. She reached down with her hands and unbuttoned and unzipped Will's jeans. She then pushed the jeans, along with his boxers down to his ankles. Will stepped out of his clothes and then reached for the clasp and zipper on Magnus' skirt. He removed the skirt and her panties in one motion. There they stood, each wanting the other so badly. Will took Helen in his arms and laid her on the rug in front of the fireplace. He looked into her eyes then leaned down to kiss her. She had never wanted anything as badly as she wanted Will right now. She kissed him back, hard. She knew at this very moment that she was in love with Will Zimmerman, and that she could no longer deny her true feelings.

As she lay in his arms in front of the fire, she could not help but think of the Barbara Mandrell song, "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right".

"Are you ok?" Will asked as he pulled her closer.

"Yes, I am perfectly fine," she replied, "better than I have been in years."

"Any regrets?"

"None, unless you count me not telling you how I felt earlier. "Speaking of that," she said as she rolled up on her elbows to look at Will, "How did you know you could whisper in my ear about how you felt?"

"Well, I was sworn to secrecy."

"Nikola," she said as she fell back into his arms.

"Hey, I did not tell you anything," he said. "How are we going to tell the others?"

"Let's not worry about that right now, let's just enjoy the moment," she said as she leaned over and kissed him.


End file.
